My uncle and his family come down to visit us once or twice a year for holidays. They own a pretty old (male) border collie who is very obedient and loves to come visit us along with them as well.

I am wondering if it's safe for them to bring that dog to our house for the holidays anymore, now that I have a (male) doberman? He is just a puppy, but I know there's a common male/male aggression problem that can develop later on.

Just wondering if it would be safe to have them both in the same house/fenced yard at all? The relatives are only over for a few hours during this time. I am wondering if I should avoid the dogs meeting at all and kenneling up Riley, or have one outside while the other is inside, etc.. Or if I should ask them not to bring their dog anymore. Or if it'll be fine since the border collie is old and they wont feel like they are fighting over pack position since he is only around once or twice a year for a few hours.

And reversed - would it be safe to bring my dog up to their house? Again, it's usually once or twice a year.

Want to know what to tell my relatives when they ask. Thanks.

__________________

“If you don't own a dog, at least one,
there is not necessarily anything wrong with you,
but there may be something wrong with your life.”

Just talking from my experience, I'm not a professional behaviourist, but I really think it depends on the personalities really; most dogs from my experience dont tend to develop the male-male issues until they hit maturity. I wouldn’t have thought there would be any problems coming from the puppy at this age, I'd have thought it more depends on the BCs temperament. BCs *tend* to get along well with other dogs, but may have less tolerance for a bouncy, rough-playing dobe puppy, especially if hes older. I'd be worried about him upsetting the older dog with rough play.

Could you perhaps introduce them on neutral ground, say go for a walk first, and see how they get on, then if they get along fine invite the older dog in but make precautions for if they dont get along great, or the puppy tries to hassle the older dog? (for example, section a part of the house off with a stair gate?)

Whether they seem to get along great or not, I'd want to keep them under constant close supervision and control, not leave them to their own devices.

As he gets older, I personally wouldnt risk it. I'd have them perminantly seperated.

These aren't dogs living together, so I think it will just depend on the personalities of the two individual dogs as time goes along.

Silas, for example, is fine with other well-behaved, neutral male dogs. If the other male starts something, he won't back down, but he won't be the dog to start something - he has a long fuse and is generally good-natured and very predictable with other dogs. We just recently had someone stay at our house and dog sit for us and they had an older, calm, docile male boxer and they got along perfectly. Other dogs won't tolerate a male around at all. Others are fine unless there are resources around - so it all depends.

Since your guy is a puppy right now, it should be completely fine as long as the BC doesn't mind him and his silly bouncy puppy-ness. Monitor their behavior around each other, and be careful but don't be over-anxious anticipating a bloodbath, either.

As he gets older, continue to monitor how he does and how they do. They may just be fine, especially for a few hours at a time. If things start to get snarky, then you know to keep them separated. It's probably a good idea to keep them separated when no one is there just to be safe.

Edit: Amelia just posted at the same time. I totally agree that it tends to work well for introductions to go on a nice long walk or hike on neutral ground first. Also, that will keep bouncy puppy out of older dogs face a bit more.

Pups would always want to play with other dogs and they won't develop M to M aggression at this stage.

Ash is almost 21 months now and he does not seem to have such aggression with other dogs of same sex. He always wants to play with my Neighbor's Indian Breed (Rajapalayam) who is also a male, and almost of same age.

Safety is a concern only when the other dog is not vaccinated, otherwise its good fun for them.

I would try it out and see how things go, but be prepared and anticipating any issues. Make sure you have a "plan" if they dont seem to jive well; and keep an eye on body language, if you have the slightest hesitation, just separate them preemptively. Fun, relaxing family visits are much better than added stressful ones good luck

__________________

Friendship is not about who you have known the longest... its about who came into your life, and never left your side.